John II of Byzantium

Emperor John II the Good (1057-1143), born John Comnenus, was an emperor of the Byzantine Empire. He was responsible for the fightback against The Turks

Biography
John Comnenus was the son of Alexius I of Byzantium and his wife Irene Doukaina, and was known as "The Moor" due to his dark complexion and ugly face. However, he was then praised as "The Beautiful" or "The Good", because he was faithful to his wife and affectionate for his family; he was called the Marcus Aurelius of the Byzantine Empire.

His first military campaign was fought against Panagiotes of Smyrna and his Anatolian rebels in 1082, besieging Smyrna (Izmir). In 1084 he stormed the castle and Panagiotes was killed, but John chivalrously spared the castle from populace extermination or sacking, instead occupying the Motte & Bailey. John's chivalry increased when he built public benefit buildings, such as markets and town squares. Because he was loved by the people, he was everyone's choice for the next Byzantine emperor.